During the past year we were able to demonstrate the presence of injected neutral red in the gastric extractions of three patients who had pernicious anemia. These determinations prompted us to make this report.
The use of neutral red has been advocated in the study of the gastric secretory function. Fuld1 discovered that neutral red would appear in a Pavlov pouch after the dye was placed in the large stomach. Several years later, Finkelstein2 found that it was practically the only dyestuff eliminated in appreciable quantities in the Pavlov pouches of dogs after intramuscular administration. One year later, Glaessner and Wittgenstein3 applied this fact clinically.
Davidson, Willcox and Haagensen4 concluded that neutral red was excreted in achylia accompanying every condition except pernicious anemia. In their studies, they investigated eight cases of pernicious anemia, and did not recover neutral red in the gastric extractions after two hours. Their statement that the